Loose-leaf binder



I 1,546,167 E. w. CARPENTER LOOSE LEAF BINDER July 14, 1925.

Filed May 6, 1925 Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,546,167 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD W. CARPENTER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. W.

CARPENTER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A COR- PORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Application filed May'6, 1925. Serial No. 28,387.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W; CAR- PENTER, a citizen of the United States. residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield,

State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Loose-Leaf Binder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to loose leaf binders of the type in which there are one or more sets of oppositely disposed complementary arched arms, the free ends of which are separable to allow for insertion or removal of the loose leaves and may then be pressed together to secure the leaves thereon, and in which resilient means is provided for holding these arms either in the open or closed position. i V g It is an object of the invention to simplify the construction of this type of binder by reducing the number of parts andmaking these parts less complicated so that the device will require less metal and may be more cheaply manufactured.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means. which will secure a more effective and stronger resilient action with the same weight of metal than has been possibl to secure heretofore, and to secure this efi'ect with an extremely simple device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming apart of this specification, similar reference characters being employed throughout,

the various figures to indicate corresponding elements. I In this drawing,

Fig, 1 is a top plan view of my improved binder with the arms open. I

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one end of the device.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section substantially on line 55 of Fig. 2, showing the arms separated or in the open position.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the arms in the closed position, and

Fig. 7 is an end view looking toward the lower end of Fig. 1.

This improved binder in the construction shown comprises a back plate 10 of suitable resilient sheet metal, and in the specific embodiment illustrated the opposite sides 11 plate.

-Located between the sides 11 of the back plate is a pair of rods 14 which extend longitudinally of the plate and engage the inner walls of the sides 11. At suitable positions,

preferably adjacent their opposite ends,

these rods are offset toward. each other as shown at 15, and these offsets are connected 'by suitable toggle connections. This con nection is preferably formed by providing a groove or recess 16 in one of the rods and a projecting tongue 17 on the other rod adapted to seat in the groove or recess. These tongues and grooves form pivotal connections between the two rods and they are held in engagement by the sides 11, of the back plate. .The rods .14 are provided with oppositely, disposed complementary curved or arched arms 18 and 19 extending substantially at right angles to the body of the rod. These rods are also pivotally mounted on the back plate, and in the present construction this pivotal mounting is secured by providing the plate with openings 20 through which the arms 18 and 19 extend, and the sides of the opening extend beneath these arms to provide the pivotal connection or support for the rods in the In the construction shown these pivots are on opposite sides of the toggle connection-1617.

In'devices of this character the resilient action of the side members 11 of the back plate pressing inwardly on the outside of the rods is used to cooperate with the toggle connection to hold the arms 18 and 19 either in the open or closed position, and it will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 2 that where there is no support for the portions of the rods between the toggle connections the pressure of the side members of the back plate will tend to bow these rods inwardly toward each other as shown in dotted lines, so that a portion of the resilient effect is dissipated in this bowing action, and is thus not available for use in connection with the toggles to hold the arms in the open and closed positions. I have found that by placing a strut or spacing element between the central portions of these rods intermediate the toggle joints I can prevent this bowing action, and therefore, cause the entire force of the reilient action of the back plate to be ex pended through the toggles to hold the bowed arms either in the open or closed position. A simple and effective means for securing this effect is a spacing bar 21, which, in the construction shown, is merely a short piece of rod recessed at its opposite ends as shown at 22, to form seats for the sides of the rods 1 1-, and this bar is made of such a length as to keep the portions of the rods between the toggle connections substantially straight, as indicated. Thesides of the rods maybe recessed slightly to receive the ends of this bar to prevent it sliding longitudinally of the rod in operation rods are pushed farther apart and will thus and to thus keep it in substantially the center position. It will'be apparent that this bar effectively prevents the rods bowing inwardly, and therefore, the entire resilient force of the back plate is expended in the toggle connections.

In operation, as the free ends of the bowed arms 18 and 19 are separated they will turn on. the lower edges of the openings 20 as pivots and the toggle connections 16 17'pass from a position below the line join ing these pivots as shown in Fig. l, to a position above this line shown in Fig. 5', and therefore, as they move from either one of these positions to the line the sides of the tend to push theside's 11 outwardly against the resilient action of the back plate, but as soon as the toggle passes through this line in either direction this resilient action operating through the toggle will swing the bowed arm's either open or closed and will hold them in either position. i

In assembling, the sides 11 are bent only part way to the position shown in Fig. 2. The rods let are then placed in position with the arms 18 and 19 extending through the openings 20 and with the tongues 17 in the grooves or recesses 16. Pressure is then applied laterally to the sides 11 bringing them tightly against the body portion of the rods after which operation the resiliency of the plate will hold the rods in position with the tongues 17 and the grooves 16in engagement.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a loose leaf binder, a resilientback plate having side members, a pair of rods pivotally mounted between and engaged by said side members and provided with oni w i positely disposed complementary arched arms, toggle connections between said rods adjacent theopposite ends thereof, and a spacing element extending between the bars intermediate said toggle connections and serving to prevent the rods bowing inwardly toward each other.

2. In a loose leaf binder, a resilient back plate having side members, a pair of. rods pivotally mounted between and eng ed by said side members and providedwitn oppositely disposed complementary arched arms, toggle connections between said rods adjacent the opposite ends thereof, and a spacing bar having recessed ends to receive said reds, said bar extending between the rods intermediatesaid toggle connections and serving to prevent the rods bowing inwardly toward each other.

3. In a loose leaf binder, a resilient back plate having side members provided with openings, a pair of rods provided with oppositely disposed complementary arched arms extending through said openings, the sidesof the openings extending beneath the arms to form bearings therefor, toggle connections between the rods adjacent the op'-' posite ends thereof, and a spacing element extending between the bars intermediate said toggle connections and arranged to hold the bars separated to prevent their bowing inwardly toward each other.

1. In a loose leaf binder, a resilient back plate having side members provided with openings, a pair of rods provided with oppositely disposed complementary arched arms extending through said openings, the sides of the openings extending beneath the arms to form bearing therefor,to le connections A an between the rods adjacent the opposite ends thereof, and a spacing bar having recessed ends to receive said rods, said bar extending between the rods intermediate said toggle connections and serving to hold the rods separated to prevent their bowing inwardly toward each other. 7 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. r

' EDIVARD W. CARPENTER. 

